(SKIP TO: 6minutes 45seconds) {youtube}ZOUFYNennJA{/youtube} “He’s so amazing. I miss him so much.”

]]>https://site2.mjeol.com/2015/03/18/naomi-campbell-mj-closet/feed/0Who is the Greatest Entertainer?https://site2.mjeol.com/2014/11/22/who-is-the-greatest-entertainer/
https://site2.mjeol.com/2014/11/22/who-is-the-greatest-entertainer/#respondSat, 22 Nov 2014 05:53:56 +0000https://site2.mjeol.com/p/2014/11/22/who-is-the-greatest-entertainer/Who is the greatest entertainer? (Skip to about 0:56 seconds) {youtube}ofQoN4Gma_g{/youtube} Trini Trent mentions Michael, Janet and a whole lot of other entertainers. Spoiler alert: He is not all super-impressed with Beyonce. Check it out.
]]>https://site2.mjeol.com/2014/11/22/who-is-the-greatest-entertainer/feed/0Xscape #1 in R& B at Amazon; #2 in Pophttps://site2.mjeol.com/2014/05/14/xscape-amazon1-20140513/
https://site2.mjeol.com/2014/05/14/xscape-amazon1-20140513/#respondWed, 14 May 2014 03:46:26 +0000https://site2.mjeol.com/p/2014/05/14/xscape-amazon1-20140513/At Amazon.com, as of this first posting (11:22pm), Xscape is #1 on Amazon's R&B list and #2 on Amazon's Pop chart.

]]>At Amazon.com, as of this first posting (11:22pm), Xscape is #1 on Amazon’s R&B list and #2 on Amazon’s Pop chart.

Four jurors in the Michael Jackson wrongful death trial said they feel cheated by the outcome, which they blame on a misleading verdict form.

The six-month-long trial ended in October with a victory for AEG Live, the concert promoter Jackson’s mother and children had claimed was liable for his death because it hired, retained or supervised the doctor convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death.

The jurors, whose sworn statements were attached to a motion for a new trial filed Thursday by Katherine Jackson’s lawyers, said most of the jury wanted to find concert promoter AEG Live liable in Jackson’s 2009 death.

Along with arguing that the verdict form was faulty, the Jackson lawyers contend the judge erred by refusing to let them pursue a negligence claim independent of the hiring case.

Jackson died from an overdose of the surgical anesthetic propofol on June 25, 2009, which Dr. Conrad Murray told police he used to treat the pop icon’s insomnia as he prepared for a tour produced by AEG Live.

They jurors used the words “stunned,” “upset” and “shocked” when they were told they had to stop deliberations after a majority agreed that the answer was “no” to the second question on the verdict form — “Was Dr. Conrad Murray unfit or incompetent to perform the work for which he was hired?”

One juror called the question “a trap that prevented us from deliberating on the real issues of the case.”

“After sitting through almost six months of the trial in this case, I believed that Mrs. Jackson had proven her case against AEG LIve,” another juror said. “Despite this fact, I had no way of voting in favor of the plaintiffs because of the way that the verdict form was worded.”

Jackson lawyers, in their arguments for a new trial, contend that Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Yvette Palazeulos erred by denying their request to add the words “at any time” to the question.

The four jurors, whose names were redacted from the documents released by the court, agreed.

“I would like the judge to know that we did not have the opportunity to deliberate or render a verdict on the plaintiffs claims that Dr Murray did not become unfit or incompetent until after the conflict of interest was created, Dr. Murray’s duties were changed, pressures were mounting, or even after the contract was prepared and signed by Dr. Murray,” one juror said.

The jury voted “no” only after one member convinced them that the question could have only meant “at the time he was hired,” two of the juror statements said.

“During our deliberations, I asked to send a question to the judge to explain Question 2, but by then the foreman had already answered ‘no’ and followed the instructions to sign the form,” one said. “I feel so cheated because I sat through five months of trial and listened to a lot of evidence on the ethical conflict created — yet I never got to even deliberate at all on that issue or even review the hundreds of exhibits that had been brought in.”

Another juror said they decided not to ask the judge for direction on the second question because “we did not want anyone to know where we were in deliberations.”

“I do not believe that the verdict form was fair or worded correctly, and as phrased, Question 2 was a trap that prevented us from deliberating on the real issues of the case,” a juror said.

The same juror described the emotional toll it has caused. “Since the jury verdict, I have been very upset, and initially I was unable to eat or even check my e-mails because I was so sorry about the verdict and the fact that justice was not done in this case, because of how question 2 on the verdict form was worded.”

“I do not think that justice was achieved in this case,” another said.

The affidavits revealed that one of the 12 jurors refused to stop deliberating despite being told it was over. “He insisted that we continue answering the rest of the questions,” a juror said.

Judge Palazeulos will hear arguments on the new trial motion on January 3.

]]>https://site2.mjeol.com/2013/12/19/news-4-jurors-aeg-misleading-2013dec13/feed/0Bashir Out at MSNBChttps://site2.mjeol.com/2013/12/05/bashir-out-msnbc-20131204/
https://site2.mjeol.com/2013/12/05/bashir-out-msnbc-20131204/#respondThu, 05 Dec 2013 00:42:02 +0000https://site2.mjeol.com/p/2013/12/05/bashir-out-msnbc-20131204/Despite the media trying to blame Bashir’s ouster on his Sarah Palin insult, he had the lowest ratings in that time slot at MSNBC. I’m sure that made it easier to boot him. He’s a weasel too.

Report:

By Chris Ariens on December 4, 2013 2:40 PM

Breaking: MSNBC host Martin Bashir is leaving the network.

Bashir hasn’t been on the air since Nov. 22. MSNBC said he was on a pre-planned vacation, but we’ve learned he resigned today. The departure follows comments he made about Sarah Palin on his Friday, Nov. 15 show.

Bashir called Palin a “dunce” and suggested she might be a candidate for the same treatment slaves received from a plantation owner named Thomas Thistewood: being urinated and defecated on.

After demands for an apology, he apologized, but remained on the air. As calls for a suspension grew louder, Bashir anchored the rest of the week before going on that vacation.

Bashir joined MSNBC in the summer of 2010, after six years with ABC News, part of that time as a host of “Nightline.”

More: Comments from Bashir and MSNBC president Phil Griffin after the jump…

> More, a statement from Bashir: “After making an on-air apology, I asked for permission to take some additional time out around the Thanksgiving holiday. Upon further reflection, and after meeting with the President of MSNBC, I have tendered my resignation. It is my sincere hope that all of my colleagues, at this special network, will be allowed to focus on the issues that matter without the distraction of myself or my ill-judged comments. I deeply regret what was said, will endeavor to work hard at making constructive contributions in the future and will always have a deep appreciation for our viewers – who are the smartest, most compassionate and discerning of all television audiences. I would also wish to express deepest gratitude to my immediate colleagues, and our contributors, all of whom have given so much of themselves to our broadcast.”

> More: Statement by Phil Griffin: “Martin Bashir resigned today, effective immediately. I understand his decision and I thank him for three great years with MSNBC. Martin is a good man and respected colleague – we wish him only the best.”

]]>https://site2.mjeol.com/2013/12/05/bashir-out-msnbc-20131204/feed/0AEG Lawyers harassing Michael Jackson’s Children in Wrongful Death Suit?https://site2.mjeol.com/2013/03/21/aeg-lawyers-harassing-michael-jacksons-children-in-wrongful-death-suit/
https://site2.mjeol.com/2013/03/21/aeg-lawyers-harassing-michael-jacksons-children-in-wrongful-death-suit/#respondThu, 21 Mar 2013 21:18:01 +0000https://site2.mjeol.com/p/2013/03/21/aeg-lawyers-harassing-michael-jacksons-children-in-wrongful-death-suit/Paris Jackson, the 14-year-old daughter of Michael Jackson, is being questioned Thursday about her father’s last days as part of her family’s wrongful death lawsuit against a concert promoter.

In addition, Jackson lawyers told the judge in a court filing this week they were concerned that lawyers for AEG Live, the company accused of liability in Jackson’s death, were “behaving aggressively and erratically” in their questioning of the Jackson children.

AEG Live asked Los Angeles Superior Judge Yvette Palazuelos to order Blanket Jackson to appear for a deposition, but his doctor warned it would be “medically detrimental” to the 10-year-old boy, according to the court filing.

When AEG Live lawyers deposed Prince Jackson, 16, earlier this month, they asked questions intended “to agitate the boy, creating serious concern among his guardians and attorneys,” the document said.

Prince “testified that he was intimately involved in his father’s affairs,” an AEG Live lawyer said in an e-mail defending the questioning.

The wrongful death lawsuit is a high-stakes contest. Prince, Paris, Blanket and their grandmother, Katherine Jackson, are suing AEG Live for billions of dollars. The trial is set to begin in Los Angeles next month.

Jackson lawyers complained that AEG Live lawyers engaged in “a concerted tactical effort made to harass and burden the Jackson family through these abusive discovery processes.”

While Blanket — who was just 6 when his father died on June 25, 2009 — will not be called as a witness in the trial, AEG Live has tried to force him to sit for a deposition, the filing said.

Blanket’s doctor provided a letter saying it would be “medically detrimental” to the boy. “Yet defendants still to this day say they may move to compel Blanket’s deposition,” the Jackson filing said.

Jackson lawyers accused AEG Live lawyers of mistreating Prince when he was deposed on a recent Saturday. They “behaved in a manner designed to agitate the boy, creating serious concern among his guardians and attorneys,” their filing said.

“Defense counsel asked the boy completely irrelevant and repetitive personal questions about whether he sends text messages, whether he send text messages from his phone, and whether he ‘tweets,'” they said. “Defense counsel also asked the boy about every place he had ever lived, every teacher he had ever had and about his current efforts to start a career in addition to being a full-time student — none of which have anything to do with the case at hand.”

AEG Live lawyer Jessica Stebbins Bina, in an e-mail included in the court filing, defended her co-counsel Marvin Putnam’s questioning of Prince.

“My understanding is that the deposition proceeded with appropriate questioning, and that the questions were legitimate questions appropriate to a wrongful death suit,” she said.

The Jackson lawyers also complained about the questioning of family matriarch Katherine Jackson, who is 82. AEG Live lawyers deposed her for nine hours over three days and are asking for a fourth chance, they said. The questioning could have been easily done in two or three hours, they told the judge.

The lawsuit contends that AEG Live is responsible for Jackson’s death because it hired and supervised Dr. Conrad Murray, who was administering the surgical anesthetic propofol to Jackson each night for a month to induce sleep as he prepared for a series of concerts organized by AEG Live.

AEG Live contends that Michael Jackson chose Murray as his personal physician. The promoter denies having hired or supervised Murray.

A jury found Murray guilty of involuntary manslaughter after hearing testimony that he violated medical standards in his treatment of Jackson.

]]>https://site2.mjeol.com/2013/03/21/aeg-lawyers-harassing-michael-jacksons-children-in-wrongful-death-suit/feed/0Jackson’s Family to Sue Promotion Company Based on Emails to Dr Conrad Murrayhttps://site2.mjeol.com/2013/03/05/jackson-fam-aeg-emails-murray-03052013/
https://site2.mjeol.com/2013/03/05/jackson-fam-aeg-emails-murray-03052013/#respondTue, 05 Mar 2013 22:46:42 +0000https://site2.mjeol.com/p/2013/03/05/jackson-fam-aeg-emails-murray-03052013/Since Michael Jackson’s premature death, litigious controversies have taken over the MJ-related coverage. The doctor treating him at the time, Dr Conrad Murray, has since been convicted and found guilty for involuntary manslaughter.

He was sentenced to a maximum of four years behind bars. Continuing from that and wanting to make sure those who should be held accountable are so, the Jackson family has extended their reach to the promotions company that was managing Michael Jackson’s This Is It tour, who hired Murray. The court has today confirmed that they will be able to sue the company.

According to the suit, emails between AEG (the promotions company) and Dr Murray prove that he was pressured into ensuring Jackson’s health was ruled good enough for him to perform on the tour, despite it not being.

As the Guardian report, one of the emails from AEG read: “We want to remind [Murray] that it is AEG, not MJ, who is paying his salary. We want to remind him what is expected of him.” AEG have consistently claimed that Murray was not an employee, despite the above email suggesting very strongly otherwise.

Furthermore, the director of the This Is It tour, Kenny Ortega sought guidance about Jackson’s “weakened and troubled state” to which the company president Randy Philips responded with falsified information about Murray’s financial state, saying that he “does not need this gig” making him “totally unbiased and ethical.” In fact, Murray was in enormous amounts of debt making him vulnerable to pressure fiscally.

The family are looking for financial compensation to the sum of what Jackson would have earned had he not died in 2009 – which could amount to more than AEG is worth.

]]>https://site2.mjeol.com/2013/03/05/jackson-fam-aeg-emails-murray-03052013/feed/0Jackson And Richie Wrote We Are The World During Donna Summer Sessionhttps://site2.mjeol.com/2012/12/12/mj-wearetheworld-donnasummer-session-12122012/
https://site2.mjeol.com/2012/12/12/mj-wearetheworld-donnasummer-session-12122012/#respondWed, 12 Dec 2012 00:14:15 +0000https://site2.mjeol.com/p/2012/12/12/mj-wearetheworld-donnasummer-session-12122012/Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie wrote the classic charity song ‘We Are The World’ during their downtime while recording ‘State of Independence’ for Donna Summer, Jon Anderson tells Noise11.com.

‘State of Independence’ was originally recorded in 1981 for the Jon & Vangelis album ‘The Friends of Mr Cairo’.

Donna Summer covered the song a year later in 1982 and added a choir featuring Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Kenny Loggins, Dionne Warwick, Brenda Russell and James Ingram.

“That day Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie wrote ‘We Are The World’,” Jon tells Noise11.com. “When they were doing that album they stopped for a break. Quincy Jones was there. Quincy told me the story. He said ‘why don’t we sit down and write a song’ and they started singing ‘We Are The World’. It was kind of fun that they would do it at that moment”.

Jon Anderson will perform in Australia as a solo artist for the very first time for Bluesfest as well as sideshows in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Newcastle.

His setlist will feature his many of his Yes classics including ‘Owner Of A Lonely Heart’ and ‘I’ve Seen All Good People’.

]]>https://site2.mjeol.com/2012/12/12/mj-wearetheworld-donnasummer-session-12122012/feed/0Michael Jackson’s Outfits Featured In ‘The King O Style’ By Michael Bushhttps://site2.mjeol.com/2012/12/11/mj-outfits-king-of-style-bush-12122012/
https://site2.mjeol.com/2012/12/11/mj-outfits-king-of-style-bush-12122012/#respondTue, 11 Dec 2012 04:13:33 +0000https://site2.mjeol.com/p/2012/12/11/mj-outfits-king-of-style-bush-12122012/Michael Bush, together with Dennis Tompkins, designed outfits for Michael Jackson for more than 25 years. In his new book The King of Style (Insight Editions, $45), he shares anecdotes about working with the global megastar to create his unique image – among whose idiosyncrasies included never wearing the same item of clothing in public twice.

Bush and Tompkins created what are still some of the most iconic costumes of the last century. Here’s some of their highlights, starting with the outfit, designed by Bush, in which Jackson was buried. As always, hit ‘Fullscreen’ in the top right of the slideshow to see a zoomed-in version.

]]>https://site2.mjeol.com/2012/12/11/mj-outfits-king-of-style-bush-12122012/feed/0ABC to air Spike Lee’s Michael Jackson Bad25 documentary on Thanksgivinghttps://site2.mjeol.com/2012/08/30/abc-spike-lee-bad25-documentary-08292012/
https://site2.mjeol.com/2012/08/30/abc-spike-lee-bad25-documentary-08292012/#respondThu, 30 Aug 2012 00:31:22 +0000https://site2.mjeol.com/p/2012/08/30/abc-spike-lee-bad25-documentary-08292012/ABC will broadcast a Spike Lee directed documentary about Michael Jackson centered around the singer’s 1987 blockbuster album, “Bad”. The documentary will have special video and never before seen footage; some taken by Jackson himself.

Report:

ABC has acquired the television rights to Spike Lee’s upcoming Michael Jackson documentary, the network announced Tuesday.

The acclaimed filmmaker, who had previously collaborated with Jackson, has been prepping “Bad25,” a documentary tracing the late king of pop’s creative vision during the making of “Bad,” the follow-up to his groundbreaking “Thriller.” It is one of two major projects pegged to the 25th anniversary of the 1987 hit-filled album.

“This will be a very special Thanksgiving for all families to enjoy the genius of Michael Jackson,” Lee said in a statement. “Big thanks to ABC for allowing people to witness the making of Michael Jackson’s ‘Bad’ album.”

Lee teamed with Jackson’s estate and Legacy/Epic Records to search their archives for never-before-seen footage, including some shot by Jackson himself. The director also conducted interviews with some of Jackson’s confidants, choreographers, musicians and collaborators, including Martin Scorsese, Mariah Carey, Sheryl Crow, L.A. Reid and Kanye West.

Before Lee’s documentary “Bad 25″ airs on Thanksgiving, the film will premiere next month at the Toronto International Film Festival.

“Bad,” the third and final album collaboration between Jackson and Quincy Jones, made history with five consecutive No. 1 singles.

To commemorate the anniversary, his estate, in collaboration with Epic/Legacy Recordings, will reissue the disc — the first re-release of an album from Jackson’s catalog since his 2009 death.

Dubbed “Bad 25” (like his 2008 “Thriller” reissue), the deluxe package will feature three CDs, two collectible booklets and the first-ever authorized DVD release of a concert from his record-breaking Bad tour.

Of the three CDs, one is a remastered version of “Bad,” another features demos and songs recorded in Jackson’s studio that didn’t make the cut, as well as remixes, and the third will feature audio from the soundtrack recordings of the accompanying DVD, making it Jackson’s first live album.